Moonlight
by PSI-Triforce
Summary: Marth likes relaxing in moonlight, and after a hectic Christmas day, arguing with Ike and worrying about his presents, it's just what he needs to get his mind off things. But can somebody else find another way to relax the lonely warrior? Late SS fic.


This would be a Christmas fic, but I've pretty much been asleep for the last consecutive 300 hours. So, apologies to 'Fire Emblem MewMew' this can be a 'Happy New Year' fic instead. Hope you had a good Christmas anyway.

---

Marth sat on the roof, staying as silent now as he had been staying for the last few hours. He didn't know why, but the darkness relaxed him, and every night he came up onto the roof to watch the moon rising. It cleared his head, helping him think about the day he had just had, and the day he was going to have tomorrow. However, Marth didn't really want to think about the day he'd just had. Blushing with humiliation, he tried to push the memories out of his head, but they stayed. He couldn't forget about what had happened with Ike. And Samus too.

Samus…

_Marth was walking down the corridor of Smash Palace with a few packages tucked under his arm. Christmas was approaching, and he wanted to see the looks on his friend's faces when he gave them their presents. Gasping as one of the presents began to slip, he quickly caught it and continued to struggle holding all of them until he approached the living room, where he knew most of his friends would be waiting._

Cursing under his breath, Marth tried to stop the story from replaying itself in his head, but it wasn't stopping. Groaning, Marth decided to stop forcing himself not to think about it, and tried to focus instead on what went well today. He had to admit, at first, the day was going well.

_There was a loud thud as the various parcels, packages, and hurriedly wrapped presents landed on the table, causing the group of people there to look up and see Marth, sweating and letting out a deep breath of relief now that he had finished all of his carrying._

"_What's all this?" asked Pit. Marth raised his eyebrows, but then realised that he wasn't sure if they had Christmas in Angel Land._

"_These are your Christmas presents, get ready to open them!"_

_An excited murmur ran through the group as Link, Zelda, Ike, and Pit wondered what they'd be receiving, but before they could wonder too long, Marth plucked a present from the pile and read the label._

"_Link, this one's your's."_

_Marth handed the present to Link, who ripped it open and grinned when he saw the small figurine of a swordsman dressed in green. Smiling as he looked back up at Marth, he said,_

"_Thanks, I love it."_

_Within minutes, Zelda was wearing a jewel-encrusted crown, Pit was looking through his new set of togas, and Ike was examining the new sheath for his sword. They were all overjoyed with Marth's gift, but one present remained on the table._

"_Who's that for?" asked Ike curiously._

"_Samus," replied Marth simply, "Is she here?"_

"_No, but you can try and catch her later."_

_Marth was visibly agitated that Samus wasn't there to receive her present, but didn't want to act as such in front of his other friends, so he just shrugged and muttered, "Ok."_

_However, his curiosity got the better of him when he risked asking, "Do you know where she is?"_

_Before Ike could reply, Marth heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned to hear Samus saying 'Hi' and he saw her approaching in her power suit, but without her helmet. She was smiling, and for a second, Marth began to blush and found himself lost for words before remembering what he was doing. Quickly handing her the present, Marth said, "Merry Christmas!" and waited for Samus to open her present._

Marth smiled as he remembered Samus' face as she opened her present. He was worried that she wouldn't like it; after all, it was a bit strange, but she said she loved it, and even now, Marth believed her.

_Samus' mouth fell open as her eyes caught their first gaze of the small grey gemstone. Link and Zelda looked at it confusedly, Pit looked from the gem to Marth, and Ike made a sound that suggested he was suppressing a chuckle. Marth looked nervously from his friends back to Samus and stuttered,_

"_It's meant to be the moon."_

"_I know," Samus replied with a smile, giving Marth a huge sense of relief. At least she had understood what the present meant. He had hoped that as a space traveller, she might enjoy it, although he knew it was a risky idea."_

"_Do you like it?"_

"_Yes," Samus responded, nodding while still gently moving the gemstone around in her hand, feeling it all over, "It's really nice, and it's… original." Samus chuckled as she saw panic in Marth's eyes, and added, "Original in a good way."_

"_Samus, check out my gift!"_

_Samus turned back from Marth and walked off towards Peach to see what she'd got her. Marth breathed a loud sigh of relief, but heard somebody else clearing their throat behind him. Turning around, Marth faced Ike, and Ike looked annoyed._

"_What's up with you and Samus? You were blushing like crazy and stuttering like an idiot!"_

"_Sorry, I just-"_

"_You have a crush on her don't you…"_

"_What?"_

Marth shuddered recalling the conversation. At first, Ike had smiled, and for a second, Marth thought it was a friendly smile. Then, he saw something deeper. A grin. A smirk.

"_Do you have a crush on her? Seriously?"_

_Marth let his silence answer Ike's question. He hoped that Ike wouldn't jeer or mock. Worse yet, he could tell Samus. However, when he looked up, Ike was chuckling._

"_What's so funny? You're not going to tell her, are you?"_

"_Nah, I'm just glad. I've been waiting for some competition."_

"_Competition?"_

_Marth was alarmed, but Ike just laughed and replied._

"_Yeah, I was wondering how long it would take for somebody else to fancy Samus."_

_Marth still felt nervous, but was beginning to feel relieved. At least if somebody else liked Samus, he had someone to talk to about it. Unfortunately, Ike was a tad more competitive than Marth, and it was about to show._

"_So which one of us do you think will win?"_

"_What?"_

"_You know, whose she gonna go out with?"_

"_Oh… I hadn't thought of that. I… can't guess."_

_Marth gave a lovesick sigh as Ike pretended to wretch and rolled his eyes. "I really hope she likes me. She's beautiful."_

"_Yeah, she's hot."_

_Marth turned to face Ike, but found his fellow swordsman not paying much attention, throwing his sword around and catching it. Marth raised his eyebrows. Ike didn't seem to be taking this very seriously._

"_Hey guys, what's up?"_

_Marth instantly became more nervous. Greeting Samus back with a wave, he noticed Ike just kept casually throwing his sword. Ike didn't look like he was going to answer, so Marth replied._

"_Not much. What did Peach get you?"_

"_Just some make-up. I don't think she likes me being a bit of a tomboy. I guess I should wear it occasionally, even if it's just to please her."_

"_Nah, you don't need that stuff. You look fine without it."_

_If Marth could have chosen his words again, he would have been more complimentary than 'fine' but as luck would have it, Samus still seemed flattered and smiled at him._

"_Thanks Marth."_

"_You're welcome," Marth replied, struggling not to blush, but succeeding._

_Marth wondered how Ike would respond, and glanced over at him to see his sly grin just before he pointed his sword towards something above him._

"_Hey Samus?"_

_Samus turned to Ike. "Yes?"_

_Ike continued pointing up until Samus and Marth both looked, and saw the small leaves of mistletoe tied underneath one of the Smashers balconies. It was in between Ike and Samus, and as Samus and Marth looked back down, Ike even winked at her cheekily. Luckily for Marth, Samus didn't seem too impressed._

"_Erm… no thanks Ike… but Merry Christmas."_

_Samus was visibly made awkward and turned on her heels and fled before she could even see Ike's face fall. However, Marth couldn't hide a smirk for a split-second, and unfortunately, that was all it took. Ike turned on Marth and suddenly began speaking through clenched teeth with a voice full of rage._

"_You think that was funny?"_

_Marth tried to say no, but Ike grunted loudly and stormed off through the garden._

Marth had hoped that Ike would calm down, or just sulk for a few hours and laugh about it the next day, but Ike had taken the incident seriously, and wanted personal revenge. Now that Marth was sitting alone on the roof, looking off the edge of it to the gardens, he could still see a few glimmering fragments of grey crystal.

_It had been a few hours since Marth and Ike's 'disagreement', and Marth had spent this time watching the few Christmas Day fights. Falco had fought Diddy Kong and narrowly lost, and now Marth was substantially more interested as Samus was fighting, against Luigi in the Brinstar arena. They had both worn each other down to one stock, and Samus was doing a good job holding him off, although it was quite distracting that he was wearing a 'Santa' hat during the fight. Eventually, she was forced to roll backwards, towards a narrow edge to avoid a fireball he threw._

_Luigi looked as though he had the upper hand, but while Samus had been rolling, she'd been charging up a shot, and as she straightened up she fired straight at him. He saw the shot late and couldn't dodge it in time as it struck him, blowing him backwards, heading out of the arena. He tried to jump back and desperately powered up his 'green missile' attack. However, he looked too far away to make it back._

_Luckily for him, a bob-omb appeared just above him, and just as he was finished charging, it struck his legs, sending him flying with amazing speed back through the stage. He charged straight into Samus, and although he continued to fly towards the other side of the stage, Samus crashed out of the arena long before he would have._

'_GAME SET'_

_Samus and Luigi staggered out of the portals and back into the main hall while the audience clapped. Mario cheered loudly for his brother and Luigi was showered with congratulations and surrounded by friends. Marth noticed that nobody had approached Samus, so he walked towards her and began, somewhat nervously,_

"_Good fight. You did well, you were just a bit unlucky."_

_Samus still seemed annoyed at losing, but visibly appreciated Marth's words. She opened her mouth to say thanks, but was interrupted by a voice behind her._

"_Anyone for baseball?"_

_Marth and Samus were both a bit surprised to see Ike holding a baseball bat, leading Ness, Lucas, and some of the other younger Smashers out into the garden. Marth was slightly suspicious, but luckily, Samus didn't seem interested in playing._

"_No thanks Ike…" Samus replied, finding the situation a little strange._

"_No problem, just come in the garden and watch. The kids like an audience."_

_Marth was still suspicious, but didn't want to say anything in front of Samus, so he cautiously followed her into the garden and sat on the sidelines with her while Ike started the small game of baseball. Ike decided to bowl first, leaving Ness in charge of batting. Marth didn't mind, because it meant he got to spend more time with Samus, but he still kept one eye on Ike, wondering if he was still mad._

"_Those kinds of fights annoy me, I mean, I know I can fight well, but it's small moments like when I got hit at the end that still make me feel doubtful, you know?"_

"_Mmm hmm…" Marth replied, still keeping his eye on Ike, wondering what his plan was. He was throwing the ball hard… was he planning to injure someone so that he could act sympathetically in front of Samus?_

"_I know that I've had experience fighting with the space pirates, but I feel like I'm betraying my training every time I have a weak run of matches. Do you ever feel that way?"_

_Marth nodded without paying too much attention. He was still focussing on Ike, who was up to bat now. As he walked past Ness, who would be bowling now, he appeared to hand him something. Probably a baseball, but could it be a bribe? Was Ness going to throw it at Samus? Was Ike going to injure himself to get sympathy?_

"_Marth, you're not listening!"_

_Marth turned back to Samus and saw the disappointed expression on her face. Sighing and feeling a bit guilty, he decided to focus all of his attention on her as he apologised._

"_Sorry, I was just distracted by the game. Anyway, whose your next fight against?"_

"_Actually, it's pretty ironic, because it's-"_

"_DUCK!"_

_A split-second after the sound of Ike striking the ball shot through the garden, his voice rang out loud and clear. Marth immediately turned and just saw something heading towards Samus and himself with lightning speed. Grabbing the bottom of his cape, he threw it over Samus and pulled her down onto the ground. Before she could say anything, the sound of something shattering above them almost deafened them. They could feel pieces spraying around them, but luckily, Marth's cape was big enough to cover them._

_After the panic died down, Marth immediately began to blush when he realised how close he and Samus were. His arm, having pulled the cape around her, was still around her chest. Their faces were almost touching, and Samus was breathing heavily, still panicking._

"_Are you ok?"_

"_Yes… I think so."_

_Having received a positive answer, Marth slowly pulled the cape off the two, surveying the scene around him. Ike was running over, while the kids were in shock. There were small shards of shattered glass all around Marth and Samus, and it was only then when Marth got angry when he realised what Ike had done. Ike tried to act innocently concerned as he charged over, saying,_

"_You guys alright?"_

"_You jackass!"_

_Marth's outburst surprised everyone, as Ike put on a look of fake shock._

"_What?"_

"_You idiot!"_

"_What's wrong?"_

_Marth's anger didn't subside, and for a moment, he forgot that Samus was watching him._

"_Why is my Christmas present to Samus in pieces on the ground?"_

_Ike put on another fake expression, this time of surprise, while Samus' mouth dropped._

"_It was next to the baseballs! I swear it was an accident!"_

_The idea that Ike could do something like this and then say it was an accident pushed Marth over the edge, and he angrily pushed Ike backwards with such force that he fell over. However, Ike was quick to stand up again, and wasn't beneath giving Marth a fight if he wanted one. Ducking to dodge a punch, Ike gave Marth a quick uppercut, and tried to push him back while he was stunned. Marth grabbed Ike's hands and aimed a kick at his legs, but suddenly remembered that Samus was watching. Letting go of Ike, who was now clutching his left leg, Marth spun around and called 'Samus', but she was already on her feet and running out of the garden._

"_Samus!!"_

_Marth gave chase, but unsuccessfully. Samus made it to her room and locked herself in. Marth cursed under his breath. Arguing in front of Samus, fighting in front of her; it was no wonder that she wanted to be alone._

Little had changed since then. Hours later, Marth hadn't spoken to Ike, nor had he seen or heard from Samus. He had retreated to the roof, where he had watched the moon rise as time went by. Now, with nothing to break the silence of the night, Marth was sure everyone was asleep, and considered going to bed himself, until a sudden noise next to him startled him. Jumping slightly, he saw Samus sitting down next to him. He calmed down for a second, then began to panic again when he realised that this made things even worse. Luckily, Samus spoke first.

"I thought I was the only one who ever came up here to see the moon."

Marth gulped. "It's a new idea I had. It gave me the idea for that present."

"It was a good present. I really liked it."

Marth didn't know what to say and just nervously remained silent until Samus sighed and muttered, "No more small talk… Marth, I'm sorry I ran off like that."

"What?" Marth was more than a tad confused. Samus was apologising?

"I was… saddened when Ike broke my 'present' and I'm not keen on letting other people see me when I'm vulnerable. It makes me feel weak."

"I understand." To be honest, Marth didn't understand completely, and still didn't know why Samus would apologise, but didn't want to interrupt the conversation.

"I feel kind of guilty for talking like this, I mean, it was your present to me, and all I'm thinking about here is myself."

There was an awkward silence before Samus began to blush and spoke again. "Did I ever give you my present?"

"Erm… no, I don't think so, but you don't have to-"

"I should. Here."

Samus gripped Marth's hand with her's and for a second, looked straight into his eyes before leaning forwards and quickly kissing him on the lips. As they both blushed nervously, Samus barely dared to speak as she whispered, "Do you like your present?"

Marth smiled. "I love it."

As he wrapped his arms around her, he had a huge smile on his face, and as she slyly began to smile too, a hint of mischief appeared on his face. Looking from her to the moon, Marth whispered, "Have you ever been there?"

"Just once. It was very cold… it's a lonely place. Why do you ask?"

"Want to go there again?"

Samus looked at Marth as if he was crazy, but his smile reassured her. "The jewellery can't match the original, can it?"

---

It was 7 o'clock in the morning as the other Smashers slowly awoke. It soon came to people's attention that Marth and Samus were missing, and so were a few of their clothes and possessions. As everyone was woken and told of the situation, people began to search for them desperately, until Pit discovered a note in the garage, where Samus' Starship would usually be, but it was also gone.

'_Gone to the moon with Marth, I'll be back in a few days, Samus.'_

Marth and Samus had been brought together with the magic of moonlight, and now they were about to see how peaceful and relaxing it could be up close. Together.


End file.
